Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May
by Eldagrim
Summary: It's incredible, the results one small action can lead to. Ron stormed from the tent that rainy night without leaving behind Slytherin's Locket. Had Harry known what results that would eventually lead to, he'd have just killed Ron himself. After a decade's long war between Magic, Muggles, and those caught in between, Harry was left with only one thing to do...go back and try again!


**Author's Note's: So I wanted to have a go at my own 'Time-Travel' Harry. While there are many of these types of stories, I hope to do things that others haven't. If I had to name a story that this would be most similar too, it would be "A Black Comedy" by nonjon, and that is mainly due to his Harry and mine having similar personalities, the story-line's not really crossing paths very much at all. I hate 99% of the cliche`s that most stories fall prey too, so I will be doing my level best to avoid as many of them as possible. Some, however, are simply unavoidable due to the basis of this story. I will do my best to spin them with a refreshing taste to them, so as to not bore not only you readers, but myself as well. This story will feature a darkish Harry. He isn't evil, merely hardened by decades of war. His purpose for coming back in time is more to reward himself for his hard work, than it is to actually participate in the war. He will be out enjoying life to the fullest as much as he can, but he WILL still be involved in the war effort. This is mainly due to the fact that pissing off Voldemort is one of his favorite past times, and he does it for the entertainment as much as he does anything else. The other area that Harry interacts is in the defense of those that aren't able to protect themselves, i.e. children, old people, and most animals.**

 **There will be an eventual pairing in this story, although Harry will not get together with her for some time and will enjoy the single life for a while first. I won't say who he will be paired with just yet so as to not spoil the surprise. I will say that it is NOT a slash pairing, nor is he paired with Hermione or Ginny. I have nothing against any of the three, just isn't my cup of tea. I want to give a quick congratulations to those who can figure out where the title of this story comes from without using Google, haha. It really is a large inspiration for this story. Without further adieu, enjoy!  
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 **Disclaimer: As usual, I neither own Harry Potter nor anything to do with the world of magic.**

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The soft crunching of a twig was the only sound that could be hard from within the darkness that engulfed the forest. It was abnormal as usually the forest was deathly silent, at least since the war had ended and new decorations for the trees had stopped being added so frequently. Slowly, an enormous white and black-striped feline made its way into a small worn down clearing. It was clearly the producer of the earlier noise.

The large Siberian Tiger stopped at the edge of the clearing and gingerly sat down, its long tail swishing excitedly back and forth. Zazu, as his master had named him as a cub, sat patiently waiting for his master. Today was the day he would be returning from his travels, and he wished to be there to greet his master as he had done hundreds of times before.

There had been a time, back before the end of the Great War, that Zazu would have accompanies his master on his travels, but injuries and old age had long since caught up to him. Though neither he nor his master said it out loud, they both knew that his time in this world was fast approaching its end.

Zazu was just about to lay down to rest, when a soft pop alerted him to the arrival of someone via apparition. Zazu's tail flicked faster with happiness when he noticed it was indeed his master.

Standing in the middle of the clearing was a man with jet black hair that was trimmed short on the sides and back, his longer hair on top having been swept back at an angle. According to his master, he had modeled it after some famous sports star from his youth as a reminder of time when life had been enjoyable. His master had often told him stories from his younger days about finally breaking free and becoming his own person; of how he had taken to living life one day at a time even though life was weighed down by war more often than not back then. Of course, the war in those days had been a small scuffle compared to the Great War according to his master. There wasn't much life or fun to be had anymore.

His master smiled at him when he noticed him laying in wait for him. His steel-gray eyes softening when he noticed how much of a struggle it had become for Zazu to even raise himself back into a standing position.

Zazu noticed the worried look on his master's face, it having become more and more sad these passing few months. The pair had been together since Zazu had been just a small cub about to be killed by poachers. His master had yet to even trade in his emerald eyes for his magic seeing storm colored ones back then.

"It's good to see you again, Zazu." the man smiled, making his way over towards the large feline, softly stroking the nape of his neck.

Zazu never could stop comparing his master to himself from his younger days. His frame was long and slender, with tightly coiled muscles that, unlike Zazu's, were still ready to spring into action at a moments notice, even if his master was far older than himself.

"Let us head back to the castle old friend, so we can get off of our feet." the man smiled as he turned and led his companion down one of the many paths that branched away from the clearing.

None of the path's looked particularly inviting. The corpses hanging from the trees had a large part to do with that, but the duo seemed to be at peace with their surroundings. Zazu couldn't help but admire the scenery as they walked. Hundreds, likely even thousands, of bodies hung by their necks from the branches. None of them had yet decayed down to the bone, and a few of them even looked fresh. Those few being the ones foolish enough to think that the war had yet to end.

Of course, they were more than just decorations or scare tactics used against their enemies. His master had given them a life of sorts and would attack any intruders that came uninvited into the forest. Inferi his master had called them. They scared Zazu at first, their unblinking eyes staring lifelessly at anyone as they passed by.

Zazu could tell his master was also admiring his works of art, as he had called them once, with a small smirk on his face. Zazu had yet to even be born by the time the war between man and magic had begun. His master had often told stories of it's beginnings though. He told stories of a man filled with hatred for the world who had set out to ultimately destroy it in his anger.

The man, Tom as his master always referred too him, and his followers started off just trying to 'Cleanse' the magical world of those they deemed unworthy of being apart of it. His master and his friends had been hunting down the way to kill Tom. However, things went south when a locket they had gathered, that was key to Tom's destruction, finally had influenced his masters best mate enough to drive him away. The man, Zazu remembered his master calling him Ron, had taken the locket with him by mistake. Ron had been killed, by a group of men known as 'Snatchers', shortly after leaving due to greed of the obviously valuable locket.

Tom's appetite and desire for power soon led him and his Death Eaters to become arrogant, exposing the world of magic to the world of man once more.

While most witches and wizards continued to hide away from the muggles, Tom and his followers had not. The lack of good witches and wizards revealing themselves to the rest of the world soon led it to believe that all of them were simply evil, and thus, should be destroyed. And so, The Great War had begun before his master could reclaim the locket and end Tom.

Zazu's master chose not to fight for magic or muggle during The Great War, but for those caught in between; those unable to fight for themselves. With the world's collective eyes turned on to the war, thieves, rapists, murders, and poachers were left to do as they pleased in the shadows.

His master had caught, captured, and killed as many of those that preyed on the weak as he could, their bodies left hanging in the trees as a tribute to those that couldn't be saved. It inspired many people to rally behind him, and a third front soon joined the war. Zazu himself fought beside his master hundreds of times, having joined him since being saved as a cub.

His master had not always been so cruel to his enemies, however. In the beginning he said he had tried to follow the path of his mentor from his youth. He would try to capture and not kill, believing his mentor was correct about giving second chances.

His philosophy didn't last long. It soon became clear that his approach was saving the lives of more enemies than it was those he sought to protect.

But the war was over now. It had been for a few years now. His master had finally been victorious and won the war. His prize? A war torn world left in ruins and devoid of well over ninety percent of the life that had been present before the war.

His master was left empty. Decades of fighting and delving into the heart of darkness, just to win a war that could not be truly won. In the end they had all lost. The world was dead, it just hadn't realized it yet.

There were few, if any, farmers left to supply food for what remained of 'civilization'. A large percentage of the survivors were off on their own, living their own way while hiding away from the rest of the world. Law was all but gone outside of the Capital and people were slowly killing themselves off one by one for food and goods.

Even Zazu was one of the last surviving exotic animals, the rest having been poached into extinction. The only remaining survivors were also hidden away in this very forest.

What did remain of civilization was left under the rule of Zazu's master. But he knew that the world was doomed, unable to repair the damage that had been done before they would perish. Of the remaining survivors, most were too injured and broken from the war. All of the best things that had made life worth living for most people had already been destroyed. Family, love, romance, fun, and even nearly all of his friends. So he had left his last remaining friend, and his most trusted follower, in charge and set out to 'save the world'.

That had been nearly five years ago. Thousands of miles and hundreds of journey's later, his master had said he was setting out to find the last piece he would need to complete his quest. Zazu hadn't been told what his masters plan was, not even Blaise, his master's most trusted, had been completely informed. Blaise had been spending more and more time at his master's castle in preparations for this night, following the precise instructions laid out by him, even if he didn't know what for.

Finally, their home came into view from behind the cover of trees. It was a massive castle, left over scars from its many battles still scaring its surface. It had of course been structurally and aesthetically fixed on the inside.

It was hard for Zazu to believe that this great fortress had once been nothing more than a school for young magic users. His master had often said it was his first true home, and the duo had continued to call it so for quite a while now. Although, Zazu wasn't sure what human would possibly name something so beautiful with a name as awful as Hogwarts.

Zazu watched as his master stopped near the edge of the treeline and turned back to stare longingly into the forest, as if he had no plans to ever see it again. Zazu watched as his face morphed to one of resolve and he turned his back to the trees once more.

* * *

The pair made their way towards the castle steps, and Zazu watched as his master waved his wand over himself, causing the glamor charm to fade away from his masters body. It revealed just how much older his master truly was.

His features were all close to the same, just aged a few decades older. The color had begun to fade from his now graying hair, and his skin hung just a bit looser on his frame than it did moments before. Even though he now looked much closer to his true age, he still had aged really well for a man who had gone through as many battles and struggles as he had.

Zazu could hear hurried footsteps headed their way as soon as they had entered the castle. He knew who it was, as the only person who had access to the castle without being in chains or a cell was Blaise.

"Blaise! It is good to see you again old friend." his master greeted his last remaining friend.

"It's good to have you back, Harry." Blaise greeted him warmly. "I trust everything went smoothly?"

"Indeed." Harry smiled, leading the small party towards what used to be the great hall. "Have you finished the preparations I left you?"

"Of course, Master." Blaise replied with a smirk, "Are you ready to tell me exactly what it is we have been building?"

Harry snorted. "I'm not your master, Blaise. Your not my bloody house-elf."

Blaise smirked at him in return.

"Tom." Harry called out softly. A small house elf appeared moments later.

"How can Tom be helpings you, Master?" the little elf bowed.

"Bring me the Croaker files, please." he ordered. The little elf bowed and popped away, returning a few moments later with an old book that Harry handed over to Blaise. "Page 392."

Blaise opened the book to the appropriate page and began to read aloud.

 _As our investigations currently stand, the longest period that may be relived without the possibility of serious harm to the traveler or to time itself is around five hours. We have been able to encase single Hour-Reversal Charms, which are unstable and benefit from containment, in small, enchanted hour-glasses that may be worn around a witch or wizard's neck and revolved according to the number of hours the user wishes to relive._

 _All attempts to travel back further than a few hours have resulted in catastrophic harm to the witch or wizard involved. It was not realized for many years why time travelers over great distances never survived their journeys. All such experiments have been abandoned since 1899, when Eloise Mintumble became trapped, for a period of five days, in the year 1402. Now we understand that her body had aged five centuries in its return to the present and, irreparably damaged, she died in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries shortly after we managed to retrieve her. What is more, her five days in the distant past caused great disturbance to the life paths of all those she met, changing the course of their lives so dramatically that no fewer than twenty-five of their descendants vanished in the present, having been "un-born"._

 _Finally, there were alarming signs, during the days following Madam Mintumble's recovery, that time itself had been disturbed by such a serious breach of its laws. Tuesday following her reappearance lasted two and a half full days, whereas Thursday shot by in the space of four hours. The Ministry of Magic had a great deal of trouble in covering this up and since that time, the most stringent laws and penalties have been placed around those studying time travel._

"Impossible!" Blaise whispered in awe.

"Not impossible, just hidden and extremely hard to find." Harry smirked. "Madam Mintumble was able to travel nearly five-hundred years into the past Blaise, do you not see the possibilities?"

"I do." Blaise relented. "But I also see her dead the moment she returned, along with nearly destroying the world along with her. They stopped these experiments for that very reason."

Harry couldn't help but chuckle.

"You are overlooking certain things, Blaise. It was only once she _returned_ did she find any negative consequences. By all rights, had they not brought her back to the future, she could have lived out the rest of her days in 1402 and beyond. Although, I will admit the current world may not continue to exist. Not that it will for many more years in the first place."

"So you don't plan on coming back?" Blaise asked sadly. "To what time will you go?"

"I do not plan too, no." Harry said as the two continued their walk. "Don't look so sad, Blaise. I am hoping that you will be joining me in this little adventure?"

"I think I'd like that." Blaise replied softly, thinking back to a time when his own life had been more enjoyable."

"Thank you." Harry smiled gently at him. "It will be nice to have a friendly face by my side...well not counting everyone else that will still be there that I knew."

"I get what your saying." Blaise chuckled.

They had made their way into the great hall. Harry smiled as he looked upon his creation. In the middle of the room, on a raised dais much like it had been the first time he had seen it, sat The Veil. He could still hear the whispered sounds of those who had passed on before him emanating from the beyond. He could almost trick himself into hearing his past friends wishing him encouragement for his journey ahead.

The dais itself sat floating above the ground. Encircling it was a series of rings, much how the hourglass of a time-turner would look, only there were seven in total and much larger. Each ring was made of a fusion of gold, silver, and platinum, and had an intricate series of runes covering each and every surface.

In front of the Veil, sat an intricate and ornate pedestal that seemed as if it was missing a piece to it, the last piece that would make it complete to be exact.

"Technically, the outer rings themselves would be enough to propel us back in time." Harry spoke again. "The problem I ran in to was that I could not find a way to control the destination. I had no way of knowing if I would travel back one year, a hundred, or even a thousand. This is where The Veil comes into play."

Zazu stalked forward, seeing his masters creation for the first time. The thing was truly massive. The rings were large and wide enough he could almost jump up and take a nap on them without worrying about falling off. He had no doubts that his master would have been the only one who could have created such a device. His inspection was cut short when his master resumed speaking.

"It took countless months, but I finally discovered a way to use The Veil as a portal of sorts and link it to the device." he began. "When the time-turner activates it doesn't just send the veil back in time, instead it combines with the gate to the veil to create what I can only call a portal that leads to the past."

"Hermione would have been able to explain it so much better." Blaise smirked.

It was true, so Harry could only nod in acceptance, but Hermione had been dead for a long time now and was one of the many reasons he was standing where he was.

"Think of it this way." Harry interrupted his ribbing. "Let's just pretend that this veil is a two-way archway. You walk through it and enter the land of the dead, and when you walk back through you are once more back in this very room. This device is designed so that you step inside as it activates to enter Death's Realm, but instead of appearing back in here, you appear wherever the veil was located at the time you step back through the veil. Make sense?"

Blaise contemplated for a moment before nodding in understanding. "So how exactly _do_ we know when to step back through the other side; and how for that matter? It's only in your theoretical world that this archway is two-way. This one simply kills you and you get vacation time."

"To the first, we will have to wait near the exit until someone else comes or goes through. Of course, it will have to be someone who we know the specific time of when they entered The Veil."

"Sirius?" Blaise asked, understanding of the plan starting to fall more into place. "I figured you would have wanted to go back farther than that to at least save him?"

Harry laughed. "That is the brilliant part, Blaise! We are reversing time, so we aren't waiting for Sirius to _enter_ the veil, but we will wait until he _leaves_ it. Then we simply follow behind him and make sure to keep him from falling back through."

Blaise nodded worriedly. "It sounds like your altering things that are sure to upset a lot of higher powers that I'd rather not have on my bad side. Also, how exactly are we going to get back through the veil ourselves?"

"In separate ways actually." Harry smiled brightly. "I am going to be walking through the veil while under my Invisibility Cloak. It was once Death's own cloak and is capable of keeping him from knowing I have even entered his realm. Once we see Sirius pass through you will exit, leaving my cloak behind as you leave."

"And if you are under the cloak, what is keeping Death from finding me?"

Harry smiled almost evilly, as if he had found a way to cheat Death at his own game and was looking forwards to pissing him off when he found out. He reached into the pocket of his overcoat and began to unwrap a small crystal orb, which he held up to the light to examine. Inside of it was a swirling mass of glowing silver.

"Your soul will be tied to this orb." Harry smiled simply. "It acts almost as a Horcrux would, without actually splitting your soul or removing it from your body."

"So what – It's like tying a 'rope' around my body and anchoring me down?" Blaise asked skeptically.

"Actually, –" Harry paused for a moment before chuckling. "It is basically the same thing I guess. Now. Here is the important part."

"I'm listening." Blaise nodded.

"Even with your soul tethered, your body will still die once you walk through the veil. When you leave again, your spirit will be free floating. You will have to track down your old body and merge with the spirit inside of it to become one new spirit."

"So I'm going to become someone different?" Blaise asked nervously.

"No, no, of course not." Harry shook his head. "Everything about the 'Blaise' from that time is exactly the same as you were during that time. It will be like taking a glass of water and adding more water to it. It won't change the fact that it is still just a glass of water. The only side effects should be that you will be basically sixteen again, at least in body."

"So what about you?"

It was one of the many things Harry had always admired about Blaise. He had always been accepting of strange and unbelievable ideas, at least if they came from the mouth of someone he knew wasn't an idiot and he trusted their knowledge.

"So long as I stay under my cloak, death will not claim my body." Harry answered him. "However, my body will still age in reverse as time itself reverses. It will not undo any improvements I made to my body, such as my Mage Sight, merely make my body younger. Sadly, I'll technically only be fifteen again, but I'm not going to let that give anyone the idea of putting a leash around my neck. I quite enjoy my freedom."

"Won't they already know?" Blaise asked curiously. "It isn't like they are going to forget how old Harry Potter is all of a sudden."

"Ah!" Harry nodded, remembering what it was he had forgotten to explain. "I nearly forgot. As my body isn't dying, I can simply walk back into the world in this one. I've had enough of being the bloody _Boy-Who-Lived._ There isn't a chance in hell I would go back to that. I'd sooner lop the heads off of the Dursley's again than to let Dumbledore lock me back up with those disgusting pigs again."

"And it's not as if you can just tell him that your a time traveler." Blaise laughed.

"Exactly." Harry nodded. "I think it's best if I let Harry Potter continue to be their 'savior', while I do my own thing under the guise of a new name. Hadrian Ignotus Peverell. It's time the Peverell name was able to see the light of day again anyhow."

"People are going to hound you for questions, you know that right?" Blaise asked skeptically. "Even if you meet the blood requirements to activate the old Peverell vaults, they are one of the oldest Pureblood families in the world and there will be questions asked on how and why the family suddenly exists again."

"It's going to be a piece of cake, actually." Harry grinned. He continued seeing Blaise's confused look. "Let us not forget exactly what happens shortly after we arrive in our new lives."

Seeing that Blaise still hadn't figured it out, he continued. "Dumbledore and Tom had it out in the ministry atrium, remember? Except this time, it will be yours truly who will be there to put on one hell of a show for his coming out party. Then between Albus and that idiot Fudge, they will be clamoring over each other to personally approve my status as Lord Peverell."

"Fudge I will give you, but Dumbledore clamoring?" Blaise snorted. "I find that hard to believe."

"Oh, you didn't know Albus like I did, dear Blaise." Harry, or the soon to be named Hadrian, chuckled. "He will do his best to get me to 'finish my education', but in reality he will want to keep me there to defend the school and fight in his Tom Riddle fan club."

"Will you let him?" Blaise asked curiously. "I'd think you would rather be out fighting, partying, and whoring around. What else is the point in a new life if not to be out living it?"

"What better place to start than at Hogwarts?" Harry beamed. "Don't forget, we will be young again and I can think of nothing more fitting than going back in time and taking dear Draco's future wife's V-card."

Blaise nearly chocked on his own spittle in disbelief. "You go back decades in time and the first thing you plan on doing is screwing the future wife of your childhood enemy?"

"Eh, – maybe. Isn't she only like fourteen or something?" Harry asked. "Might wait a few weeks at the very least. Besides, Bree would be so much more fun in my opinion."

Blaise went wide eyed. "Oi! You better not try to sleep with my sister!"

Harry burst out laughing. "You're right. It would be smart to get into Samantha's good graces first."

"Potter!" Blaise screeched with a scared look on his face. "You're not having a go with my mum either!"

"There is no need to worry, Blaise!" Hadrian smirked, wrapping an arm around the other mans shoulders. "I promise I won't make you call me father."

Blaise froze, wide-eyed, one of his eyes twitching before Hadrian burst out laughing at his expense. Finally, he snapped out of it with a wicked grin.

"You have a go with my mum _or_ my sister, and I'll have to give it a go with Ginny." he smirked triumphantly.

Hadrian looked him in the eyes for a few seconds before he smiled that shit-eating grin again. "Deal!"

"Wha – wait!" Blaise stammered. "What do you mean, deal? She is your wife!"

"My wife has been dead for nearly twenty years." Harry smiled sadly. "Even if she will be exactly the same exact person, it still wouldn't feel right in my book. Besides, I'm not going to be Harry Potter anymore, it's his arse that gets to put up with that fiery temper of hers." Harry was back to smiling again, having long since accepted her death. He hadn't shed tears in a long time now, having seen too much death to be truly bothered by it anymore.

"Whatever, can we please just change the subject?" Blaise begged. "I don't need, nor want, to be talking about you, my sister, or my mum while on this topic!"

"Sure, sure." Harry smirked. "Although, speaking of spending quality time with Bree and Samantha, we should probably get a move on...wouldn't want to miss my chance now would I?"

"I'm going to regret ever agreeing to this." Blaise mumbled to himself looking like his puppy had just been kicked repeatedly. "Let's just go, I'm tired of this bloody world. You're not the only one who could use some much needed female companionship right about now."

Harry too was ready to start his 'next great adventure', and his only response was to direct them both to the inside of the device and quickly activate it after making sure everything was exactly as they needed to be.

As soon as Harry activated the device, the seven magical rings started to slow twist and whirl, each in an independent direction causing his vision of his surroundings to be blurred. As they picked up speed, they became more a blur and his vision once more returned. Harry drew the Elder Wand and began the chant that would temporarily anchor Blaise's soul to the land of the living.

It was only a few seconds after he had completed it did a thrumming sound start to emanate from The Veil, it's normal black curtain glowing eerily, while still rippling in the invisible wind. Thanks to his mage sight, Harry was able to tell the moment the device was linked with the portal and threw on his invisibility cloak before latching onto Blaise's arm and dragging him along for a trip to the land of the dead.

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 **AN: Comments, questions, concerns? Leave a quick review letting me know what you think of this story, telling me if I should bother continuing it or not. I would like to point out that I work at least six days per week, so my writing schedule is usually not that busy. I will write and update as I can though. Until next time, this is Eldagrim out!  
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